


First we focus on the living- A Valkyrie one-shot

by SwedenSweets



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Valkyries, Vikings, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 08:16:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10693116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwedenSweets/pseuds/SwedenSweets
Summary: In Norse mythology the Valkyries were tasked to bring the slain on the battlefield to the glorious ports of Valhalla. In this story a certain valkyrie finds herself lost on the battlefield when she sees a young shield maiden fight together with her beloved young viking.





	First we focus on the living- A Valkyrie one-shot

**Author's Note:**

> So, this idea just came to me and I had to write it down. I´ve always been intrigued by norse mythology and the power of the vikings, so this was a lot of fun to write even though it wasn´t very long. Hope you all enjoy it! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.

My name is long forgotten, my family and life equally so. The only thing that I know for sure is the responsibility and honour given to me by the Allfather himself, Odin. On my powerful and beautiful chestnut mare, I ride over the battlefields, watching the warriors below fight for their lives.

There is something special about watching the men clash their swords against each other that makes my very soul come alive. The skills and ruthlessness of the survivors as well as the dead follow me as I make my way over them, carefully watching them all. For that is my responsibility, I bring the brave souls that are slain on the battlefield to the magnificent Valhalla, where they can continue to fight and feast until Ragnarök, the end of the world.

I see a young Viking fight his way through the thick wall of enemies below me. Despite being injured, blood flowing down his left arm, he continues forward. I don´t understand why he doesn´t fight alongside his kin, but when I look ahead, I see what he is fighting for. Up ahead there is a beautiful girl with raven hair, a shield maiden, who is fighting a man twice her size. Her lithe body moves out of the way when the man slams his sword down on her, missing her only by an inch.

Despite evading bloodshed right then, the girl is cornered against the side of the fort, making her an easy target. I see her searching around, trying to calculate her next move. Before she can do anything, the man swings his sword at her, advancing. She holds her shield up with her left arm, effectively stopping the blow, but the force the man used is enough to splinter the entire shield, causing her to fall on the ground clutching her arm, gritting her teeth.

“You have lost lady Katniss, pull back your people before I kill all of them, king Snow will spare their lives if they surrender,” the man orders her, sword pointed at her.

Katniss stands up, shaking off the pain, trying to flex her fingers. She can feel something is broken, but it doesn´t matter, she only need her one arm in order to use her sword.

“My people will never bow to your king, we are free and we will die free as well. May we die and let the Valkyries take us with them before any of us surrender to the cowardice of fear.”

The man laughs at that, “that sounds too glorious, I will make you beg me to kill you before I´m done with you and then there will be no place for you in the afterlife, only a hollow blackness until the end of days.” He surges forward, bringing his sword down straight at her once more. Without her shield she has to block his attack with her sword only, and the power he brings it down with is too much for her to hold, causing her to drop it to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Before Katniss can do anything I see the young man from earlier throw himself at the man, making him fall away from her. They tumble to the ground but get up on their feet instantly, seizing each other up. The man has dropped his sword and shield, so instead he lunges at the young man with his body, knocking him to the ground. He manages to get a good hit in while they are rolling around, causing blood to pour down from the young man´s nose.

“Peeta!” I hear the shield maiden scream, such a heart breaking sound. If I didn´t know better, I would say that I recognize the sheer terror in her voice. Someone long ago called out to me in the same way, but that can not be, I don´t remember who or where.

The next second the larger man has Peeta in a chokehold in front of him, Peeta´s back against his chest. “First I will kill your lover, and then I will take my time killing you. Maybe I will take you right here on the ground where I will kill him and then kill you, so you die with the knowledge that I was the last one to own your body,” the man says with a devilish smile.

“Katniss, get out of here while you can,” Peeta chokes out, barely audible over the noise of battle.

Katniss only stares at him, shaking her head. It´s when she does that, that her eyes catch on something on the ground just to her right. My heart, that I didn´t realize was beating so fast stops short when she takes up the bow and arrow, pointing it straight at Peeta and the man.

“We live free and we die free, are you with me Katniss?” I hear him rasp out.

Katniss nods shortly and whispers “always”, and in the blink of an eye, she has aimed the arrow and let it fly, finding its target only a second later, making to bodies drop to the ground, both dead.

I know I shouldn´t stay and watch the scene below, I have my responsibility to watch over all of the warriors so I later can select those who have earned it and bring them with me to Valhalla. But something about the way the shield maiden look at the young Viking makes me stay, it is so familiar even though I can´t remember how or why. Katniss doesn´t let a single tear drop as she makes her way to her beloved, completely ignorant of the fighting happening around her.

It´s when she has pulled the arrow out of his body and gently put him down flat on the ground that my heart literally breaks. I don´t know where it comes from, but a memory so strong empowers my mind with images of a goodbye so long ago.

_I throw my axe at the enemy in front of me, he falls dead and I smirk, but I know my battle is lost. I am greatly outnumbered, but I will fight and bring as many enemies as I can with me to the land of the dead. I fight for my people, for my land, and for my honour and love._

_In the end I die by an arrow piercing me straight through my heart, and I can still hear the pained sound of my beloved Jón as he see me fall. My people are the strongest and victory is ensured after hours more of battling, much thanks to the number of enemies I was able to bring with me._

_I remember watching from above when Jón carefully walks up to me and pulls the arrow out of my bloodied body, saying goodbye and promising that our love will make him stronger until the day he is taken by the Valkyries to Valhalla himself. I never expected Odin to see the greatness in my life, and certainly not honour me with the eternal life and burden of being a Valkyrie myself. But that is what happened and that is why I´m looking down on the couple below me, feeling their love so strong but ripped away from each other too soon, just like me and Jón._

I know I am not supposed to interfere with the mortals, but the memory brought back to me is so strong I don´t know what else to do. In a life where all I know is the responsibility I have to Odin, I have finally found a piece of myself again, and I am not willing to let the young people below suffer like I once did.

So without hesitating I steer my horse down to Peeta and Katniss. Once I´m next to them I jump off, quickly walking up and sitting down next to Peeta´s lifeless body. Katniss just stares at the battle going on around her, daring anyone to disturb her. I admire her, I honestly do, I´ve only seen her for a few short minutes, but I know already that she is a lot like me, head strong and willing to do anything for the things she believe in.

I reach forward and take Peeta´s hand in mine, pulling him towards me, or more specifically, pulling his souls with me so that we are both standing up next to his body.

His eyes fills with panic at first, but then he looks around and finally sighs as he looks down on his body and Katniss sitting next to it. He turns toward me, unbelievably calm for someone who just died.

“Are you here to take me away?” He asks with sadness.

I swallow deeply before looking down on his body. “All men consider it a great honour to go on the journey to the magnificent Valhalla, why do you not sound happy about it?” I inquire, more in order to by myself time than anything else.

“Don´t get me wrong, I am glad I am deemed worthy of such a great end, but my beloved is not with me, and nothing, not even Valhalla can compete against the love and happiness I feel with her. So don´t take my sullen state purely as disappointment, I am merely considering how much I will miss her,” he explains.

“Do you promise to love her and cherish her until the end of days?” I ask bluntly, I must know that me breaking my duty will be worth it.

“I will love her to the end, no matter how I may spend them, she has my heart and it will never leave her.”

“Then Peeta, it is not your time yet to leave this world. You may return to your beloved and have one more chance at life. Live it to its fullest and may Odin watch over you until I see you again,” I say with a small smile, pushing him back until he falls down on his body, merging with it. Before he completely finds himself back in the world of the living he lifts his head towards me. “My Valkyrie, what is your name?”

His question takes me by surprise, but I am more surprised that I know the answer before I even have time to think, “My name is Johanna,” I reply.

“Thank you Johanna,” Peeta says and fully drifts into his body, his heart beating and his wound all healed. The look on both Katniss and Peeta´s faces when he opens his eyes again makes my soul come alive in ways I didn´t know possible, and with it I feel a part of me unlock. Feelings, memories and names comes flooding back and from that day forward, until Ragnarök arrives, I know two things for certain. My name is Johanna Masonsdottír and I once lived a happy life until the ancestor of king Snow took power over my region. I died and became one of Odin´s Valkyries, tasked with taking the best warriors to Valhalla, and now when my home region once again is threatened by an enemy, I have the power to change tides and use my powers for the greater good. For the afterlife comes next, first we focus on the living.          


End file.
